Occupy Wall Street's Dream: a Party

Interview with Kalle Lasn, the father and ideologue of Occupy Wall Street by ANGELO AQUARO

Kelly Lagan

CHARLOTTE - "I want to see Barack Obama get up and say: Okay, these first four years were difficult, I've had to go back on some promises I had made and, at times, I've even had to compromise my principles in order tomove forward. But if you give me four more years, you'll see: this time I won't disappoint you."

The President of the United States is about to step onto the stage in Charlotte for the speech that could cost him his reelection, and the last person you would imagine giving him advice is the man that from Canada launched the movement that besieged this and other ten, hundred, thousand conventions in the whole world. Kalle Lasn, 70 years old, is the father of Occupy Wall Street, the inventor of the slogan created on the pages of the alternative magazine, Adbusters. The man that from Vancouver got millions of people around the world to take to the streets, and now, despite the lukewarm support for the African-American president, is ready for the next step: the launch of a real political party. The Occupy Party.

Between the two conventions Occupy has started yelling a new slogan: voting is useless, corporations decide everything, Left and Right are the same. Is that really true?"The truth is the two-party system doesn't work. It is the first time in American history that people seem to be becoming aware of this. I call them the Coca Cola-Pepsi Elections: everything you drink has thesame flavor."

Should we add another type of can?"It's not

like with Ralph Nader or Ross Perot. I'm imagining a real third party. In Europe they formed the Pirate Party and it's going strong. But I'm thinking of something different. I'm thinking of aBlue, Green, Black Party. Blue for transparency and the Internet, Green because it would take care of the environment, and Black because of the anger towards the corporations."

The Occupy Wall Street Party?"Not just Occupy, not just the young people. People can't take it anymore: too much Coke, too much Pepsi. In four years we will have our very own convention".

Speaking of decline: isn't that the same language of the Right?"I never felt, emotionally speaking, a great difference between the Tea Party and Occupy. They are both movements borne of disaster: it is the system that doesn't work."So a party that goes from Occupy to Ron Paul."Maybe not him, but a lot of people that would have voted for him. There will be a big battle, a battle of ideas. And the best one will win."

Don't you worry about an explosion of violence? Charlotte has been besieged by Occupy."The possibility is always there: but I don't think so. In the past year it has been the police that have lost control of the situation. The brutality that Mike Bloomberg displayed at Zuccotti Park was alesson that was followed elsewhere: they tried to crush the movement with intimidation."

Has the season passed?"We have talked a lot about Occupy Wall Street but now it's time for Occupy Main Street. Yes, there's still more battling to be done on Wall Street, September 17th is the first anniversary. But careful, the season might have come and gone, but look at what is happening globally: the young people fighting in Mexico and Greece, Pussy Riot in Russia".In America, though, the four years of Obama risk being erased by Mitt Romney."He walks like a robot... On the contrary: if he loses it will be a huge failure for the Republicans. At least Barack is smart, he works well on television: and you'll see that he will demolish Romney in thedebates."Romney had a Hollywood star by his side, libertarian Clint Eastwood."I have to admit that was great. Politics has become so scripted, everything controlled, and to see this old guy on stage improvising, without a teleprompter: it was the only true moment."You seem more attracted by the show than the content."Imagine the young people of Occupy walking into the conventions of the whole world as a sign of protest, taking away the teleprompter, the prompt-box, right before Obama, Romney or another bigwig starts toread... There, now tell us what you really think, now tell us what you are really made of."In the meantime do we help Barack or no? Are you ready to vote for him or no?"If he gave that speech, if he admitted that in these first four years he went back on everything... But coming back to reality: most people in Occupy will vote for him anyway: but not with any enthusiasm."